One of our very favorite places in the Exumas

It's Warderick Wells.  A beautiful little Cay, headquarters to the Exuma National Park, with a beautiful protected anchorage.  The beach is so pretty (even the bleached carcass of an unfortunate whale has its charm), moorings are in a circle with small sand bars in the middle (where puppies love to scamper), and the scenery is unrivaled.

On our trip from Nassau to Shroud Cay (with winds and waves slightly higher....like maybe double...what was predicted), we got a radio call.  We'd lost Summer Wind (Rusty and Nancy) in Marathon, since they left early to get friends to Nassau for a flight home.  As we passed Norman's Cay, they hailed us, having waited there for us till we made our way south.  They followed us to Shroud, where we both anchored and got together for a long-awaited reunion happy hour.  We then made our way to Warderick the next day.

Summer Wind in Shroud Cay after a patient wait

Part of mooring field in Warderick Wells

View of mooring field from Park office

Park office on left; ranger house on right

Easter table

Miss Nancy's Easter bonnet

We were happy to have made it to Warderick when we did, having spent Easter here before.  The Park provided a ham, and all the cruisers brought pot luck to the home of Peter, the administrator of Exuma Park.  The house is amazing, airy and open with porches all around for a spectacular view from any angle.  It was a great way to spend Easter, meet new friends, and enjoy the view.  Nancy was the only one clever enough to create an Easter bonnet on her boat, but it was stunning!

We saw Nassau

Having spent a over a month in Nassau a few years back, we're partial to the island.  Thankfully, even though the trip was a little bumpy, it was far smoother than the last time we pulled in.  Pulling into the harbor you see the lighthouse, Atlantis on Paradise Island, several cruise ships, the yoga retreat, and a dockhouse (people actually live there).  The Mail Boat was leaving the island just as we pulled in.....colorful transportation for the mail!

Since we'd been in the Bahamas for a few days, we thought it was about time we checked into Customs.  We stayed on the hook in the harbor the first night (after calling Nassau Harbor Control for permission), dodging a few French Canadians who appeared to have anchoring privileges (private joke).  When we pulled anchor the next morning, we found we'd acquired a souvenir or two -- there was a large clump of concrete in the anchor flukes, attached to a thick mooring line and a tire!  They wouldn't bounce off, so we took them for a ride to the marina so we could disengage them with a boat hook.  We pulled into Nassau Harbour Club the second and third nights, feeling the need for water to wash the crust off the boat, laundry facilities, and possibly internet (which we found at Starbucks for only the exorbitant price of beverages). 

We got cleaned up, put back together, plugged in, and hit the town.  We walked the 2-3 miles to downtown, visited the straw market, had ice cream, sampled local rums, stopped by the Green Parrot and Harbour Central Marina for old times' sake, then walked back to the Poop Deck for happy hour.  If you ever go there, DON'T leave without a fresh mango daquiri.  YUM.

We spent the next day catching up on internet, washing clothes, filling the water tanks, and getting ready to head back out.  We left early Friday morning and made really good time to one of our favorite anchorages in the Exuma Park.

The Bahamas, Mon!

We left Rodriguez Key early Saturday morning to cross the Gulf.  It was a wonderful day, nice winds and gentle waves.  We sailed....yes, SAILED the whole way, with a little assistance from the engine from time to time.  We'd planned to stop in Bimini for an overnight and to check in at Customs, but with the winds in our favor and time on our hands we went on to Gun Cay to anchor.  It's such a pretty (tiny) Cay with a lighthouse, and it was nice to be not only on the hook but also in the Bahamas and in the gorgeous water.

When we left Gun, we obeyed the wind and sailed to an anchorage on the bank (even though the Captain swore on a previous trip that he'd NEVER anchor on the Bahama Bank again).  The holding was good, though, and we settled in for another beautiful night.  There were storms all around on the radar, including a giant storm cloud that appeared over Miami.

We watched it diligently, both because the sun was setting under it and because it could potentially give us a good boat wash to get all the salt off the deck (Serendipity looked more like Krispy Kreme).
  
The next morning, we planned to go to Frasier's Hog since we've never been and so we could check into Customs.  However, once again we obeyed the wind and sailed on to Little Whale Cay. The evening was beautiful, and even though the ride was....let's say bumpy because that sounds better than butt-kicking....it was still a good day.  Little Whale is a private island with a few homes, a pretty little white church, and a beautiful beach.